Gift
by DoctorDaisy
Summary: Post Orion Pax - The children welcome the leader home.


"Plain skies don't take a whole hour, Picasso, put down the blue and let's _go_ ," Miko demanded, tapping her imaginary watch with her brush and sending a few speckles of red paint onto Jack's nearly finished skyline.

Jack sent a tired glare her way, then sighed as he began applying a new layer of blue to erase his friend's accidental additions to his part of the Bristol board. "Well, we would've had more time to finish this if _someone_ hadn't been stuck in detention _again_."

"It's only the third time this month." Miko waved her hand dismissively, sending another droplet onto Jack's simplified work of art. Jack sighed again for what he was sure was the hundredth time as he set to once again cover up her mistakes.

Raf had been staying out of his friends' bickering, keeping to his side of the paper as he filled in the sun with shades of yellow and orange. He was practicing a new blending technique he had been learning in school, a contrast to Jack who had enough trouble working with just one layer and hue, and a sharper contrast to Miko who tried it, actually did somewhat well, got bored, and began doing her own thing. Miko's tongue poked out through the corner of her mouth as she concentrated on coloring in the red portions of Optimus' frame, drawing hearts in the place of his Autobot symbols.

Optimus had finally returned with his memories of himself intact, something Ratchet had done a thorough test of through multiple scans of the Prime's body and mind. The base was full of smiles and laughter. He remembered them all. The idea of a celebration was thrown about, though only for a moment and only by Miko, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee before Ratchet shot that down. Relief emanated off every being in the room, but even so, there was one thought that wouldn't let them hold on to that feeling.

Despite Ratchet's reassurance, Optimus' concern was clear. He remembered their encounter with Unicron, he remembered joining forces with Megatron, he remembered Rafael, but he could not remember anything that had occurred over the two months he had been held aboard the warship. He had no memory of what he had done, or what had been done to him. It was only natural to assume the worst from the Decepticons.

They had all sent weary glances to the symbol engraved into his shoulders. Optimus had noticed. Smiles were less common after that.

The kids had wanted to stay longer to fully take in the fact that their make-shift 'family' was whole again, but June had unfortunately reminded them that they had responsibilities to attend to, such as school and work, two things Miko argued that she didn't do anyway but she was none the less whisked away with the other children.

The kids had been hanging out together during their lunch break when Raf suggested that they give something to Optimus as a welcome home present, and as soon as the idea was voiced, Miko immediately took over the operation. Whatever operation she had in mind landed the kids with an entire rainbow of paint cans and painting supplies. She had even managed to procure a rather large piece of Bristol board from somewhere she refused to specify.

It turned out to be much harder to paint their present then they had thought it would be, regardless of Miko's antics. The boys arrived early and were unable to work until Miko arrived with the tools, and it took twenty minutes just to decide what they were going to work on together. The main message still existed but it was far from being clear. 'Welcome Back' quickly turned into 'Thanks for Not Being a Decepticon Anymore'. Miko had initially insisted that they draw him beating all of the Decepticons into a pulp, but Jack countered that fighting his former friend wasn't exactly something that made Optimus _happy_. Somehow, they managed to get purple paint on the ceiling. They hadn't even used purple yet.

So, they settled on a simple picture of the Prime in a field of flowers.

Jack spun his brush in a cup of water to wash it off, then after cleaning and drying it he scooped some green onto the tip. Miko lightly smacked the brush out of Jack's hand, sending it clattering to the floor and leaving yet another trail of Miko-rejected colors. "Don't use green. Green isn't creative enough. Besides, it clashes with the blue."

Jack turned to her with a tired glare. "What else am I supposed to use for the grass?"

Miko thought about that for a moment before clapping her hands triumphantly. "Why not red? We can pretend it's on _fire_."

Jack sent her a blank look. "We're using green."

Miko huffed and pouted but she didn't put up too much of a fight. She grumbled and crossed her arms. "Well, at least use a darker shade."

Jack did not use a darker shade.

"Hurry _up_ ," Miko demanded, glancing around the hall nervously. "The 'Bots could show up any minute. We can't let them spoil the surprise."

Jack let out a chuckle at that, and he shared a knowing smile with Rafael. "I don't think they're getting up any time soon."

The team was still pretty out of it. Their leader going missing and the effort it took to get him back had taken everything out of them. Arcee, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead had all been treated by Ratchet and then sent on their way. 'Their way' happened to be wherever they could get a decent power down. The kids only knew that because when they had arrived, Ratchet and Optimus were the only two in the main room, and Ratchet was only just beginning preparations to finally remove the Decepticon insignia from Optimus' frame. The kids tucked themselves into a quiet corner of the base, away from anyone who could happen to stumble across them, literally or figuratively, and ruin the surprise, literally or figuratively.

When three speckles of red paint dripped onto his newly coloured grass Jack huffed through his nose and slowly looked up at Miko with half-lidded eyes. "I get that you want to make something that will stay, but did we really have to use something so messy? Where are your pencil crayons?"

Miko shrugged without looking away from her art. "'Dunno. Everybody keeps telling me that I probably misplaced them, but I know better. Ratchet stole them."

"Why would Ratchet steal your pencil crayons?" Jack asked, entirely deadpan, as if he knew he was going to regret humoring her.

Miko posed dramatically, hands in the air and all. "To make me suffer."

"Or, maybe it's because you drew on him when he was powered down," Raf supplied.

"It was totally unfair. I didn't even use my pencils. I used my scented markers. They were expensive, too," Miko whined, crossing her arms and slouching. "No wonder he took them. He probably just wanted to spruce up the med bay with the scent of strawberry-splosion and mango-mayhem."

Her disappointment didn't necessarily mean that she regretted it. She vividly remembered cackling as she bolted away after Ratchet found out that it was permanent. It took three days and seven washes for the colors to fade away completely. Miko was banned from the medbay for a month.

Miko smirked mischievously. "You gotta admit, the Hatchet looks good with a lime-green paintjob."

The two boys spared her only a glance. Raf dipped his brush into the yellow paint and neared the completion of the sun. After finishing a few more yellow strokes, he took a small drop of orange to continue his swirls. He smiled at his progress, then began adding the final touches. Jack finished his grass without any more Miko hazards and started on adding a variety of flowers, though the only variations he could make were based around colour. They had managed to get a miracle of three minutes of silence before Jack could feel Miko leaning over his shoulder. He waited for the inevitable return of her need to make a comment.

"Don't put two of the same flowers next to each other. Spread them out. It'll look cooler."

Jack turned to Miko looking entirely done. "How?"

"I dunno. Colours and stuff." Miko wiggled her fingers rhythmically. "It makes it flow."

Jack's expression went unchanged besides a risen brow. "You're taking art classes, aren't you?"

Miko took to inspecting her nails. "It's still a class."

"Is that the class you were in detention for today?" Raf asked, glancing over the colours around him before staring back at her with raised eyebrows. "Is- is that why you have all this paint?"

"I'm gonna give it _back_ ," Miko protested. Jack didn't even have the will to facepalm, instead returning to painting his garden.

They didn't even go a minute before one small dot of red landed in the center of his flower.

Jack almost threw his brush into his non-dominant hand and held his free hand out towards Miko. "Give me the paintbrush."

Miko realized that she had provoked him too far and retracted her brush-holding hand to her chest. "No."

"Miko, enough." Jack reached for the brush, but Miko stretched her hand out of his reach.

"No, it's mine." Miko shuffled backwards on her rear, waving her arms around with the paintbrush in hand, sending even more sprinkles of colour onto the paper.

"You're making it _worse_ ," Jack said, and he made one last reach towards the dramatically struggling girl. As Miko squirmed around to avoid him, she accidentally kicked over a can of green paint. She tried to catch the can, but she only managed to get a hold on the handle after it had already hit the ground and splashed its contents onto the paper. By some miracle the splatter managed to miss Optimus all together, but the surrounding sky was not so lucky. Near half of Jack's side of the piece was covered with a giant blob of green. A look of horror was slapped across all three children's faces and Jack turned his head slowly to face to the girl who had gone completely still while sending her a look he had once thought only his mother could make. " _Miko_."

Miko's hair looked as if it were standing on end as if to express her shock and dread. Miko bit the inside of her cheek, and after a moment she nodded and spoke with an exaggeratedly serious tone. "I can make this work."

Jack rather forcefully dropped his brush onto the floor beside him, no longer caring about adding to the mess. "No, you can't. We just spent two hours painting this, and we spent one hour waiting for you to get out of detention again-"

"You mean 'sneak out' of detention again," Raf mumbled. Miko picked her paintbrush back up, twirling it in her fingers as she thought. After eying the paper for a moment her expression lit up.

"But, really, look," Miko said, and she spread the spilt paint out with amateurish strokes, then added two drops of blue. Jack stared at her finished product and she smirked triumphantly.

Raf tilted his head at different angles as he looked over the piece and his eyes widened. "That... could actually work."

"I told you it could," Miko said in a bragging tone that was rewarded with an eye roll as the trio got to work.

They continued noiselessly besides the sound of brushes on paper. It was wonder in and of itself that they worked without another incident for a full half an hour; Miko had managed to restrain herself to only doodling a rainbow in the corner. Once they had finally finished, they stood and took a couple of steps back to view their work in full. They were silent for almost a minute.

"This is..." Jack said, sounding surprised. "Good."

"This is _great_ ," Miko corrected, resting her elbow on the taller boy's shoulder.

Jack had expected the end result to look like it had been caught in a blender, but somehow it managed to look surprisingly _decent_. It was by no means professional, but the message they had been going for was finally clear. Of course, stepping away gave them a better view of the disaster they had created. The floor was splotched all the way to the walls, the ceiling was still dripping purple paint, and as they looked between each other they realized that each of them were much more colorful then they had been before they started.

Raf looked himself over with a frown. "This is not great. My mom won't be happy to see this."

"I told you to wear scrap, and not the Cybertronian cuss word; actual scrappy clothes," Miko said, and to put emphasis on her point she used the tip of her finger to swipe some still wet yellow paint from Raf's vest and then poke him in the nose.

Raf let out a started cry, wiping his face with his sleeve. "Don't get paint on my glasses!"

Miko scoffed. "Don't be a wuss. It's washable. Your mom will never know."

"It doesn't matter if you clean it, she can _sense_ these things," Raf insisted, still able to see a spot of color on his nose. His frown deepened and he sat back down to get out of Miko's range of motion.

"You're fine, dude. She's a total mother hen- not as bad as June, obviously. I've heard phone calls between you guys. Your mom's rants are about as long-winded as Optimus' speeches," Miko said, crossing her arms as she inspected the room. "And speaking of mother hens, we'll have to clean this up before Ratchet gets back, or he will 'accidentally' step on us."

"You want to clean your mess?" Jack asked, incredibly sarcastic. "You're actually going to clean up after yourself?"

"Well, not right _now_ ," Miko said, and Jack wasn't surprised at all. Miko made to grab one end of the Bristol board. "First, we've got a package to deliver."

"It hasn't dried yet," Raf told her without looking up. Miko remained in her crouched position for a minute before letting the paper drop.

"Soon, we'll have a package to deliver," Miko said, plopping back onto the floor and pulling out her phone.

Jack hoped that the paint would dry quickly. Playing the waiting game with Miko could prove hazardous to their health.

* * *

Ratchet's hands moved slow and steady, carefully engraving the insignia he knew by spark. Returning the Autobot symbol to its rightful place had lifted a great deal of stress from Ratchet's processor. It was absolute, visual, physical confirmation that Optimus was _back_.

He had wanted to fix the problem the day before, but something always seemed to prevent him from performing that task. When Optimus returned, Ratchet had wanted to remove the Decepticon insignia right then and there, but Optimus ordered him to attend to the others' wounds before moving on to something of lesser concern. Ratchet had nearly thrown a _fit_ , but he complied, though that didn't stop him from grumbling and sending the symbol a few harsh glares. In his happiness to see his leader Ratchet had entirely forgotten that they had all been injured to the point of being incapacitated.

"At least they kept you well fueled," Ratchet muttered as his optics trailed the scratches and indentations littered across the Prime's frame, most likely hiding deeper injuries. "It was foolish of me to hold onto the slightest hope that the Decepticons would have the decency to mend your wounds and not _exacerbate them_."

"It is possible that my injuries were inflicted during our battle against Unicron's antibodies," Optimus said in what was a clear attempt to soothe the medic's worries.

Ratchet sent Optimus a pointed glare. "Surely, you're not defending Megatron's actions, however _unproven_ they are."

"I am not," Optimus assured. "However, I am uncertain as to whether my condition is due to circumstances aboard the Nemesis, or our activities within Unicron's form."

Ratchet paused his work and held a hand towards a large cut in Optimus' side. "This is an incision from a Vehicon blade."

Optimus seemed to think about that, though Ratchet was sure that the Prime had thought it through already and was only doing it again for the medic's sake. Optimus nodded to himself. "Then, perhaps your theory is correct."

Ratchet snorted, and Optimus took careful notice to the slight relaxation of his old friend's posture. Ratchet could have taken the conversation as the Prime manipulating him into settling down with calm words and slowed movements, but Optimus was clearly just pleased to see his team still standing tall.

As Ratchet returned focus to the symbol, Optimus took his turn to glance over the medic's frame. His optics lingered on the wounds the medic suffered, likely inflicted during their rescue of him, and relief faded away again. To Optimus, it was as if only a moment had passed and suddenly his team held themselves distressed and apprehensive. Wounded. They battled Megatron, knowing that they couldn't hold him back for long, to rescue him. He could predict what his team would say if he had voiced his thoughts. They would say that he had done what was necessary, whether they liked it or not. They would say that they didn't regret the solar cycles without recharge spent searching for him. They would not let him take the blame for losing himself. To them, it did not matter how many injuries they sustained. It mattered to him greatly.

The welder shutting down brought Optimus' attention back to the present. The Autobot leader looked over the medic's handiwork, and when Optimus looked to Ratchet with an expression of gratitude the medic couldn't stop himself from sending a small, thankful smile in return. It was quickly waved away as Ratchet returned the tool to his work station.

"Your vitals are stable. It is likely that all traces of Dark Energon have been flushed from your systems, as you haven't shown any signs of infection. Still, I want to perform a minor transfusion and continue tests on your Energon." Ratchet began opening multiple windows and files on the bases computers. "And you are not yet fully informed of events that occurred during your absence. You have only been given brief descriptions of our mission reports and we still have three weeks of data to-"

"You have all performed admirably," Optimus said and Ratchet instantly fell quiet. Optimus sent him an approving glance, one that still managed to hold an air of leadership. "We will continue our review of what has occurred during my absence after we all have gotten some rest."

Ratchet scowled at his old friend, though the low light of his optics diminished the intensity of his glare. Evidently, he had no need to tell the Prime of his non-existent recharge schedule. Optimus was as perceptive as ever. Another returned comfort, however irritating. Even so, Ratchet was not going to give in that easily.

"We can postpone your information overview for now, but I am still going to conduct tests your Energon," Ratchet said, and that was final. His optics swept over Optimus' vital scans, just to be safe, before he made his way to the room's exit. "I'll return in a moment."

Ratchet didn't bother telling Optimus not to leave the room because the Autobot leader knew well enough what would happen if he tried. Ratchet had already lost enough wrenches as it was. Optimus nodded, and Ratchet took his leave.

Optimus remained seated on the medical berth. It was the first time since his return that he had been left alone, almost as if his team had been worried that if they took their optics off him for too long he might have disappeared again. He turned his head and looked at the newly reformed Autobot badge. Just less than an hour before had his enemy's insignia been in its place. Optimus' expression fell to a small frown. He remained in that position for a moment before he slowly brought his hand to his shoulder and softly traced the symbol, a thoughtful gaze crossing his faceplate.

"Yo."

Optimus blinked at the sudden voice, and he looked to the hallway entrance. The three human children stood side by side, all holding a sheet of paper that stretched across their bodies. Optimus returned his hands to his lap and nodded in greeting. "Jack, Miko, Rafael."

"Optimus," The three chorused in return.

Miko started forward, towing the two boys along. They appeared to have difficulty carrying the large paper, having to waddle just to keep each other's pace. The kids stopped a few meters away from Optimus, then after a moment of silence they exchanged glances as if unsure of how to begin. Optimus broke the silence, looking down at Rafael with optics glowing with concern. "Rafael, have you recovered from your exposure to Dark Energon?"

Raf blinked up at him, then he smiled and nodded. "I'm fine, Optimus."

Optimus' expression didn't change. "Your face has shifted in colour."

At first, Raf had no idea what Optimus was talking about, but then he remembered the spot of yellow. Raf wiped at it again, though his efforts were futile. He returned his grip to the paper and looked back up to the Autobot leader, tilting his head towards the person at fault. "It was Miko."

"It's _washable_ ," Miko insisted.

Seeing that the children weren't at all worried let the worry fall from the leader's faceplate. Optimus seemed tired, though when Jack thought about it wasn't that much of a surprise. No one knew what he went through with the Decepticons, and surely having one's processor flooded with missing memories had to take a toll. He was never one to smile often, that was well known by all, but his expression never lingered on such a strangely downcast one for so long before. At least, not as long as the children had known him. Right then seemed like the best time to try to lift his spirits.

"Opti-" Jack had barely started speaking before Miko slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Don't you have any concept of a surprise? Of the execution? We have to be low-key," Miko berated. Her annoyed hush quickly rose to an excited and incredibly unsubtle shout. "Optimus, we've got somethin' for ya!"

Jack wasn't even surprised by that point.

Optimus didn't respond with anything other than a quirk of an optic ridge and an acknowledging nod before rising from the medical berth and coming to a crouch before the three human companions. The kids exchanged looks to confirm their next move and they shared a readied nod. They struggled for a second before they managed to find a way to maneuver around each other and turn their painting around, holding it up higher for Optimus to see, the action punctuated by a 'ta-da' from Miko.

The flowers were joined by the Autobots standing in the field, side-by-side. Raf had colored a bright Bumblebee with a happy expression, Jack's vision of Arcee was her in a casual pose, and as Miko had already drawn a flexing Bulkhead with the spill of green, she took care of Ratchet. Extra orange paint made it obvious that Rafael had painted over angry eyebrows that Miko had insisted made her scribbles look exactly like the Doc Bot himself. Small versions of themselves stood in front of their respective guardians, and they added June and Fowler to fully unite the team.

The kids waited for some sort of a response, and quickly became confused when they didn't receive one right away. The Prime's expression didn't change. Optimus carefully picked up the offered picture, smoothing the curling edges with a tender stroke of his servo. His expression grew thoughtful and his optics scanned the picture slowly, taking in every detail. Miko shifted her weight from foot to foot. After nearly a full minute, Optimus looked back to the group with an expression of regret. "I apologize, but I am afraid that the base does not contain a refrigerator."

From the look on the Prime's faceplate the kids had thought something was wrong or that he didn't like the picture, but after he spoke they stared at him blankly before the three of them burst into laughs and giggles. Jack managed to settle down faster than the other two, though his voice was still shaking with held-back chuckles, so he took that chance to question the Autobot leader's statement. "Why do you think we need a fridge, Optimus?"

Optimus looked honestly confused. "Is it not customary to magnetize a crafted gift to a refrigerator door?"

The explanation for his reaction made the kids laugh even harder. Optimus's expression clearly told them that he didn't understand the joke.

"That's usually what parents do," Raf explained once he and the others had caught their breath. "They put their kid's drawings on the fridge so they'll see them every day."

"Well, he can hang it up. We're family, right? Optimus is the ultimate 'father to his men'," Miko said, throwing her arms over the two boys' shoulders in a side hug before heaving off them and glancing around the room. "He can hang it up somewhere else. The window- there are no windows. Uh… The wall?"

As Miko continued twirling around looking for the perfect spot, Optimus' optics scanned the room and soon landed on the main monitors. He stood and walked towards the display farthest from the GroundBridge controls, taking a small block from Ratchet's work bench and using it to hold the paper up against the screen. The light from the monitor didn't take away from the picture at all, somehow making it seem brighter. It looked almost like it belonged there, somewhere everyone could see.

Optimus looked back to the kids with a gentle happiness that they had never seen on his faceplate before and they swore that they could see stars in his optics. "Thank you all."

His smile was so warm that they couldn't help but return it in full.

The moment was interrupted by a startled yell, followed by the loud clang of metal hitting the ground. Optimus was instantly on alert, narrowing optics in the direction of the voice and sound.

"What in Primus' name happened in here!" Ratchet's agitated voice filtered into the room. Evidently Optimus knew how to tell whether Ratchet's tone held actual panic or was just his usual grumpy self because the Prime's stance began to relax.

Ratchet's heavy stomps could be heard all the way from their little hide-away, and the kids knew they were about to get squished.

"Hide us, hide us," Miko hissed, nearly tripping over herself as she ran behind Optimus' leg. The boys followed suit and they pressed themselves against the back of the metal, holding their breath as if their life depended on it, and it might have.

Ratchet strode in with the colors of the rainbow staining his pedes, leaving large footprints with each step he took. A mess of colors were splashed across the front of his chest and windows. There were visible dots of purple paint on the top of his helm. Miko had to cover her mouth with both of her hands to keep herself from laughing.

"There is _paint_ all over the hallway floor, I _fell_ in it, I nearly _spilt_ this Energon cube, and- and-" Ratchet swiftly scanned the room for something else to provoke his frustrations and when his optics glanced over the Bristol board he did a double take. His angered stance quickly turned to one of confusion and he completely interrupted his own rant. "What is that?"

Optimus followed Ratchet's gaze and once he knew what was being questioned he sent his medic a gentle smile, optics glowing. "It was a gift."

Ratchet looked between the picture and the Prime with confusion, but he apparently couldn't bring himself to strip his leader of his happiness so he settled with letting out an annoyed sigh. His optics lingered on the childish drawing of himself for a long moment, and his expression began to slowly soften. He opened his mouth to say something else but stopped short when he noticed tiny paint footprints trailing the floor. He followed the path with his optics all the way to Optimus, who was standing slightly more tense than he had been a moment before.

Ratchet's expression was a knowing one and he directed it towards the Prime. "Optimus."

Optimus stood stiff and still. "Ratchet."

The two were locked in some sort of battle of will, neither one standing down. Raf felt the tension in the air and he tapped Jack on the arm, keeping his voice at a whisper. "We've been made."

"Maybe not," Miko said hopefully, and she waited a minute before realizing that the big bot wasn't going to give them up. Yet another sacrifice from the ever death-seeking Optimus Prime. She could feel Ratchet's glare even through Optimus' leg and she knew the gig was up. With a sigh of resignation, she slowly walked out into the open with her arms raised in mock surrender. Jack and Raf followed behind, though far less dramatic. Ratchet saw the paint on the kids' clothing and everyone in the room knew that Ratchet had finally found another thing to be angry about.

" _You_ ," Ratchet said with a low voice, and without breaking eye contact he pointed firmly towards the hallways. " _Clean it up_."

"Don't blow a gasket, it's _washable_ ," Miko said with a dismissive tone. Ratchet looked like he really was going to blow a gasket and Jack didn't even have to look at Miko to know that she was going to keep arguing, so he nodded to the fuming medic before grabbing Miko by the arm and leading her away, leaving her to pout at him and shuffle her feet just to give him a hard time. Raf followed behind the two, but not before sending Optimus as small wave, one that was acknowledged with a soft smile.

They neared the hallway entrance, Miko begrudgingly, but they stopped when they heard footsteps approaching rather quickly and soon they found their path blocked by three large forms rushing into the room. Bumblebee and Arcee stood side by side, with Bulkhead watching their back, all three standing tall and tense. They let their optics scan the room and they registered the calm atmosphere, settling them down, if only slightly. They saw the kids standing a few feet in front of them and both Optimus and Ratchet positioned by the computers, the five watching the three with surprise.

Arcee noticed how unusually colorful Ratchet looked and she eyed him up and down with an optic ridge raised. "What happened to you?"

"Why are you three here when I very explicitly told you to get some rest?" Ratchet asked forcefully, without even acknowledging Arcee's question.

Arcee shared a look with Bumblebee and Bulkhead before the latter took over. "We heard a commotion. Everything alright?"

"Ratchet slipped and fell," Miko explained helpfully, jerking a thumb behind her at the medic who glared into the back of her skull.

Arcee's stance softened fully and she sent a smirk in Ratchet's direction. "Stabilizers failing at your age, Ratchet?"

Ratchet merely huffed, throwing his hands up in frustrated resignation and turning to face the base's computers, keeping his sight directed at the keys. He gestured from Optimus to the medical berth, and Optimus complied, letting Ratchet prepare for the Energon extraction the medic had demanded.

Bumblebee buzzed a greeting to Raf, wings fluttering slightly to show his happiness at see the child again. Raf stepped closer and asked Bumblebee how he was feeling to which the scout hummed pleasantly. Jack remained where he was, still casually retraining Miko. Arcee sent the two kids an amused look and Jack responded with a shrug. Bulkhead smiled down at Miko, who waved her free hand excitedly as if to gain the attention that was already on her.

Bulkhead knelt to be closer to his charge's level, clearly happy to see her. "Hey, Miko. How was school?"

"Forget _school_. Look what we did! We made a picture for the Boss Bot," Miko cheered, yanking herself out of Jack's hold and skipping closer to where the Bristol board hung. She pointed excitedly towards the green blob. "Look, Bulk'! It's _you_!"

"Hey, it looks just like me," Bulkhead praised. He took a moment to look the picture over, still grinning with pride. "You've been practicing abstract art?"

Miko shrugged. "Eh, I was going for something a little more surreal, but when the paint spills, what're you gonna do?"

"Abstract? Surreal?" Arcee repeated skeptically. "Didn't know you were into this kind of thing."

"I learned a bit when I was helping Miko paint her science project," Bulkhead explained, then gave Ratchet the side-eye. "Well, for the whole ten minutes, anyway."

"I am aware of the concept of subtlety, Bulkhead, and that was most certainly _not_ ," Ratchet piped up without turning his head, finishing up the Energon scan. The results were evidently satisfying enough for Ratchet as he gave Optimus his silent permission to stand. Optimus did so, but he remained by Ratchet's side as the medic kept his sights low while cleaning up his work area, clearly avoiding looking at any potential artwork that might have possibly been hanging a few feet away.

The new arrivals approached the painting to take a closer look. Bumblebee cooed something, Raf giggling beside him. Arcee looked to Jack with amused confusion. "Are those hearts?"

"Miko couldn't figure out how to paint the Autobot symbol so she gave up," Raf explained, earning a gawk of offense from the girl who then placed her hands on her hips in objection.

" _No_ , I thought hearts would look _nicer_. And I was _right_." Miko looked behind her. "You like it, don't'tcha, Optimus?"

Optimus turned to her, his expression stoic as always, and he nodded. Both Jack and Raf seemed happy with that response. Miko gave a victorious smirk.

"We've got so much paint left, you've gotta get in on this," Miko bounced on her feet. "I'll get the mop!"

Miko burst into a sprint over to the staircase, where a mop and bucket leaned against the outer railing. The tips of Miko's fingers grazed the mop handle just before it was lifted out of her grasp by a rather miffed looking medic. "The only thing you're using this mop for is cleaning up that disaster in the hallway."

Miko rolled her eyes and barely suppressed an annoyed groan before trying to turn on the charm. "It's all in the spirit of giving, Ratchet."

"It is not your Earth holiday, and I can say with certainty that I would not wish to receive any gift from _you_ ," Ratchet plucked a small item from his workbench and knelt on the floor, holding the item out just close enough for the human girl to reach. "I can also say from experience that paint is far worse than lime-scented markers. I don't enjoy rewarding even _worse_ behavior, but between the two choices, I would rather suffer from _these_."

Miko gasped and snatched her pencil case out of his hand. "I _knew_ it was you!"

Ratchet's optics narrowed at her yell and he mumbled to himself as he stood back up. "I already regret this decision."

Optimus sent the medic a small, amused smile, one that Ratchet responded to with a roll of his optics before he turned around and returned some of his attention to his work.

Miko pranced back to her guardian, who then hoisted her up and set her on his shoulder where she slouched towards his head and swung her legs in excitement. She whispered something that made Bulkhead let out a quick laugh before he turned and began walking towards the hallway. Bumblebee let Raf hop onto his servo before standing and following behind. Next to Arcee, Jack was content with walking.

Ratchet saw them going and he looked them down. "And just _where_ are you three going?"

"To help clean up," Bulkhead said, avoiding eye contact and obviously lying. Ratchet was tempted to bring up how the former Wrecker never cleaned up the mess of broken tools he'd left behind, but the medic somehow managed to hold his glossa and remain on the subject at hand.

"I would think leaving them to clean up after themselves would be a suitable punishment for making the mess in the first place. Besides, I have not cleared any of you to be up and moving," Ratchet argued. Bumblebee let out a series of low buzzes and Ratchet whirled on him. "You won't be sneaking back out if I locked the door behind you!"

"Ratchet," Optimus said calmly, and the tension in the medic's posture almost instantly began to fade as the Prime placed a gentle hand on his old friend's shoulder. "They are growing restless. A few moments of activity would do them all well."

Ratchet looked like he wanted to put up a fight but he seemed to realize that he had lost every one he'd been in over the past few days, so he pinched the bridge between his optics and shook his head in reluctant resignation.

"One hour," Ratchet said, punctuating the time by jabbing one finger in their direction. "Then, you will go finish your power down. If you leave without my permission again, I will weld you to your berth."

The 'Bots and humans seemed satisfied with the arrangement, though Ratchet knew how unlikely it was that his orders would be obeyed. After grinning triumphantly in Ratchet's direction, Miko chattered away about how big Bulkhead's painting could be. Bumblebee and Raf tossed ideas back and forth about what they should draw and Arcee complimented Jack on his depiction of her, though the teen couldn't help but be somewhat embarrassed and he rubbed the back of his neck to show it. Raf sent Optimus a final wave before the group was out of sight.

Once their voices faded down the hall, Ratchet let out a deep sigh, shutting down the files open on the computer and preparing to skulk away and wash himself off.

"Ratchet," Optimus began, and said medic turned towards him. "Once you have completed this task, it would be an ideal opportunity for you to power down as well."

Ratchet knew he should have known Optimus would pull something like that. He had walked right into that one and they both knew it, and though Ratchet was adept at making suggestions without leaving a choice, Optimus was just as skilled. Ratchet lightly shook his head before looking back up to the taller mech.

"You are cleared from the Medical Bay. As your medic, I'd _advise_ you to heed your own advice," Ratchet said, and Optimus nodded again, though Ratchet was sure that the Prime was merely humoring him. Optimus took notice of Ratchet pausing to send the painting a softer glance before his footsteps echo farther and farther down the hall, deliberately taking the longer route that would keep him away from the children's prior hiding place. That left Optimus alone again.

The atmosphere was drastically different than it had been mere minutes before. The tension in the air had almost disappeared. It would certainly take time for everything to settle down completely, but they would take all the time they needed. All of them were home.

Optimus turned his attention back to the monitors, to the gift displayed upon it. He had already memorized the contents of the picture, but he let his optics linger just a moment longer. Eventually, Ratchet would insist that it be taken down, that it was too much of a distraction and that it was taking up too much space. Optimus' optics drifted to the catwalk. Perhaps he would inquire if it were possible to acquire a refrigerator for the base.

Optimus smiled softly, and he turned towards the hallway to adhere to his old friend's wishes.


End file.
